Door closure and check mechanism



Nov. 26, 1940. e. PARIOT 2,223,045

DOOR CLOSURE AND CHECK MECHANISM Filed Sept. 15, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTOR 650/265 ere/0r Y 8 ATTORNEY Nov. 26, 1940. G. PARIOT DOORCLOSURE AND CHECK MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 15. 1958 1 mmm% k E INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 26, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE George Pariot, New York, N. Y., assignor to The Oscar C. RixsonCompany, a corporation of Illinois Application September 15, 1938,Serial No. 230,032

Claims.

The invention herein disclosed relates to a door closure and checkmechanism of the type that is embedded in the floor and from which apivot extends and is connected to the door.

-, An object of the invention is to provide a door closure and checkmechanism in which the closing force acting to close the door isgreatest at or near the closed position of the door and in which theforce acting to close the door decreases as the door is opened. Anotherobject of the invention is to provide a structure having these featuresand that is compact so that substantially all of the mechanism liesbeneath the door in the closed position of the door.

These and other objects and certain advantages that will hereinafterappear are realized in the embodiment of the invention disclosed in theaccompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a door showing the door in the open position;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same taken on the line 2-2 of Fig.1;

Fig. 3 is a section of the door closure and check mechanism taken on theline 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section taken on the irregular line 44 of Fig.3;

Fig. 5 is another section of the same taken on the line 55 of Fig. 3.

In the drawings, l represents a door frame to which a door 2 is securedby means of hinges 3 and 4. shaped extension 5a is secured to the bottomof the door by screws 6. The extension 5a of the bracket is coaxial withthe hinges 3 and 4 and fits over and is secured to a pivot I thatextends through one wall of the case 8 of the door closure and checkmechanism.

The door closure and check mechanism is mounted in a recess in the floorand directly beneath the door in the closed position of the door.

A box 9 is provided in the recess in the floor and the door closure ismounted in this box and enclosed by a plate ID. The case of the doorclosure and check mechanism includes a cylinder 8a and a housing 8b, thecylinder having one end closed and the other end threaded into the endof the housing which includes a short section 8c coaxial with thecylinder 8a and a section 8d angularly disposed with respect to the axisof the cylinder 8a. It is through the wall of the section 8d, adjacentthe end thereof, that the'pivot 1 extends.

Within the cylinder 8a, a piston H is slidably mounted. The piston hastwo ports in the face thereof one of which communicates with a pas- Abracket 5, having a lateral, cup-' sage I2 through the piston and inwhich there is a ball check valve I3. This check valve is arranged to'permit free passage of air to the chamber 'iormed between the face ofthe piston and the end of the cylinder upon movement of the piston awayfrom the end of the cylinder. The other port forms the end of a passagel4 through the piston in which passage a tube I5 is slidable. Thls tubeextends axially of the cylinder and is secured in a bracket H5 in thehousing. The tube communicates with a lateral passage H from which theflow of air is controlled by a conical valve [8 on the end of a setscrew ii! that is accessible from the outside of the casing. As thepiston moves toward the closed end of the cylinder, the air between thepiston and the end of the cylinder can only escape through the tube 15.Adjustment of the valve [8, therefore, determines the rate the piston Ilmay move towards the closed end of the cylinder.

The piston is urged towards the closed end of the cylinder, 1. e. in adirection to effect the closing of the door 2, by a heavy spring 20. Thespring acts between the rear face of the piston H and a shoulder formedby an internal flange 86 formed in the section of the housing 821. Inthe closed position of the door 2, i. e. with the piston adjacent theclosed end of the cylinder as shown in Fig. 3, the spring 20 iscompressed so that there is a resilient force acting on the door tomaintain it in the closed position. As the door is opened, the piston Hmoves away from the closed end of the cylinder and the spring 20 isfurther compressed. When the open door is released, the piston movestoward the closed end of the cylinder under the action of the spring 20,the speed of the piston being determined by the setting of the valve I8.

The piston II is connected to the pivot l to efiect the foregoing actionby a system of links and levers. The links and levers constituting thissystem are mounted in the case 8 and arranged and interconnected so thatthe force of the spring is resolved into components in such a mannerthat the effective force acting to rotate the pivot l in a direction toclose the door varies upon movement of the door in such a way as todecrease as the door is opened. This system of links and levers includesa bell crank lever 2| having two arms Zia and 2H) angularly displacedthrough an angle of approximately fortyfive degrees. This link ismounted on a pivot 22 at the intersection of the sections 80 and 8d ofthe housing. A connecting rod or link 23 is pivotally secured at one endto the piston II and at the other end to the arm 2|a of the bell crank2!. A link 24, shaped as illustrated, is pivotally connected at one endto the arm 2) of the bell crank lever and at the other end to a crank 25formed on the pivot 1. In Fig. 3 the position of the links and levers inthe closed position of the door are shown in full lines and the positionof the same levers in the open position of the door is shown in brokenlines.

It will be seen from Fig. 3 that in the closed position of the door, thecrank arm 2: of the bell crank lever 2| is substantially perpendicularto the efiective line of the connecting rod 23. The full force of thespring 20, therefore, is acting to effect rotation of the bell crankcounterclockwise as seen in Fig. 3. As the door is opened and the bellcrank is rotated clockwise from the full line position shown in Fig. 3,the crank 2? after partial movement assumes successive positions inwhich the force of the spring is resolved into components, one componentalong the crank and which has no efiect upon rotating the crank, and theother at right angles thereto. As the crank 2!?) is rotated more in thedirection in which it rotates when the door is open, the ineffectiveforce component becomes greater and the eifective force componentbecomes less. The crank on the pivot I is also arranged to resolve theefiective force transmitted from the bell crank. This arrangement issuch that the efiective component acting on the crank at first becomesgreater and then decreases. This sacrifice in the direction towardseffectuating one of the objects of the invention is for the purpose ofmaking a compact structure. By the arrangement disclosed, however, thedesideratum of having the maximum efiective closing force acting on thedoor in the closed position of the door and a continuous decrease of theeffective closing force as the door is opened is realized for allpractical purposes.

It will be obvious that various changes may be made by those skilled inthe art in the details of the embodiment of the invention illustrated inthe drawings and described above within the principle and scope of theinvention as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a door closure and check mechanism of the type described, thecombination comprising a case including a cylinder and a housing, apivot extending through a wall of .the case and adapted to be connectedto a door. a piston slidably mounted in the cylinder, a spring acting onthe piston to move the piston towards one end of the cylinder, a seriesof links and levers connecting the pivot and the piston arranged to'efiect movement of the pivot in a direction to close a door connectedthereto upon movement of the piston under the action of the spring andincluding a bell' crank lever, arranged and interconnected to effect .aresolution of the spring force acting on the piston, whereby theeffective force of the.

spring acting to rotate the pivot decreases as the pivot is rotated in adirection to efiect compres sion of the spring.

2. In a door closure and check mechanism of the type described, thecombination comprising a case including a cylinder and a housing, apivot extending through a wall of the case and adapted to be connectedto a door, a piston slidably mounted in the cylinder, a spring acting onthe piston to move the piston towards one end of the cylinder, a seriesof links and levers connecting the pivot and the piston arranged toeffect movement of the pivot in a direction to close a door connectedthereto upon movement of the piston under the action of the spring andinclud- 5 ing a bell crank lever having two arms displaced through anangle of forty-five degrees, arranged and interconnected to efiect aresolution of the spring force acting on the piston, whereby theefiective force of the spring acting to rotate the 10 pivot decreases asthe pivot is rotated in a direction to effect compression of the spring.

3. In a door closure and check mechanism of the type described, thecombination comprising a case including a cylinder and a housing, apivot l offset from the axis of the cylinder extending through the wallof the case and adapted to be connected to a door, a crank on the pivot,a piston slidably mounted in the cylinder, a spring acting on the pistonto move the piston towards one 20 end of the cylinder, a system of linksand levers connecting the piston and the crank of the pivot arranged toeffect movement of the pivot in a direction to close a door'connectedthereto upon movement of the piston under the action of the 25 springand to compress the spring on opening the door, the links and leversincluding a bell crank lever arranged and connected to the piston andthe crank on the pivot to eifect a resolution go slidably mounted in thecylinder, a spring acting on the piston to move the piston towards onend of the cylinder, a system of links and leversficonnecting the pistonand the crank of the pivot arranged to efiect movement of the pivot in adirection to close a door connected thereto upon 45 movement of thepiston under the action of the spring and to compress the spring onopening the door, the system of links and levers including a bell cranklever having arms angularly displaced through an angle of approximatelyforty-five degrees intermediate the piston and the pivot, a connectingrod connecting the piston and one arm of the bell crank lever, and alink connecting the other arm of the bell crank lever and the crank ofthe pivot, the bell crank lever being arranged to effect a resolution ofthe force of the spring acting on the piston, whereby the effectiveforce acting to rotate the pivot decreases as the pivot is rotated in adirection to compress the spring.

5. A door closure of the floor type comprising a case including acylindrical portion and an angular portion, a coil spring axiallydisposed in the cylindrical portion engaging the case at its inner end,a rotative pivot extending through the wall of the angular portion atright angles to the axis of the spring and substantially oiisettherefrom, a crank on said pivot located within the case, a connectingmember, one end of which and that of the first pivot and nearer to theformer axis than to the latter axis, a crank pivoted on the second pivotand pivotally connected at its free end to the connecting member, saidcrank being disposed at substantially right angles to the efiective lineof the connecting member when the spring is under least tension androtative toward the door actuated pivot to store energy in the spring,and a link connecting the two cranks, whereby the longitudinal componentof force on the second crank increases and the rotative componentdecreases as the door opens. 6

GEORGE PARIOT.

